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Kingdom of O'Sine
The Kingdom of O'Sine (pronounced oh-seen) is usually considered synonymous with The First Epoch, as it begins with the crowning of the Vei Emperor Yu'He and ends with the fall of the Vei from power after the conclusion of The Rift Curse. The Vei, after their touchdown on Tanrei Island, took over Belenus so completely that for centuries, their history became the de facto history of the continent. The Vei civilization brought unprecedented technologies and Maey learning to Belenus and was such an overwhelming force that its growth was virtually unchecked by anything except is own infighting. The designation of "The Kingdom" is actually an invention by Sunling historians in The Second Epoch. In it's day, any land officially mapped by the Vei was called "O'Sine," which in High Vei translates roughly to "Our Lands" (our understood to mean Vei of the Three Major Houses). The Houses of O'Sine Various members of the Houses of O'Sine were responsible for ruling the land through the entirety of the Kingdom's history. The consisted of the Three Major Houses and the 15 Minor Houses, largely thought to be a tradition brought over from Iyn. The Three Major houses are Yu (the founding house, and House of Mentalism), Gai (House of Changlings) and Mam (House of Summoning). Under each Major house is five minor houses modeled after the five elements, which were responsible for their individual roles, for instance the House Mi under House Yu's fire element was in charge of the crafting of goods. To stay as a name in a Minor House, one had to constantly prove usefulness to the Major Houses. If one was determined not useful, they would become Men - a houseless Vei. While Emperor Yu'he's court had no houseless Vei, his progeny helped consolidate their powers by reinstituting Men. History Legacy Rock Era (-81-0 KO) The Legacy Rock Era refers to the creation of a large stone tablet in the first settlement of The First Settlers commemorating the town and establishing the continent of Belenus as a new frontier that respects the rights of all sentient species. Written by The Imperial Princess Yuna and her Sunling lover, Tanrei, it reads thusly: On this day we begin anew ' '''On this land a civilization ' 'One in which the mind and heart ' '''Triumphs over the body On the day of the declaration, the roughly 6000-strong assortment of Vei, Hael and Sunling began creating a new life for themselves on the Northern tip of what later became known as Tanrei Island. At the time, they named the land Bel'Nu (Birth Anew in High Vei), Belenus being the Common Tongue pronunciation. It didn't take long for the settlers to spread, with the full island discovered and roads built throughout by the time of the first Belenus bloom. Between 50 to 55 years after the signing of Legacy Rock, Tanrei is said to have passed away and Princess Yuna spent 12 years in mourning before disappearing into the sea. The Legacy Rock Council continued to govern the island, but soon decided to expand to the land across the narrow waterway. The Rise: Early Osine (0KO - 594KO) The official timeline for the Kingdom of O'sine starts when the first King was O'sine - Yu'he, brother of Yuna - was crowned. Before the coronation, he had already been a political force in the minds of the settlers, by the right of his birth (as the twin of Yuna and only other direct member of Iyn's ruling House). He was 3 Blooms & 23 Years (143) when he became King. How the transition from a democratic council to a monarchy happened is now lost to history, though certain sources point to much political infighting in the years after Yuna's disappearance. We do know that Yu'he emerged victorious and was coronated in a 13-story tower he had built for the occasion. The tower is now called Duskglider Hall, and is one of the Great Halls of The Academy. Three rulers are considered part of Early O'sine: * Yu'he: (0 – 241KO)The First Emperor (at the time: King). He was an avid explorer and had, during the rule of the Legacy Rock Council, officially settled all of Tanrei Island with the completion of the Summer Palace in Na City. When he received full authoritative powers, he led the push into the Continent, establishing the first true settlement on the mainland in 97KO. That settlement he named Misha Castle. He disappeared on an expedition to a great lake area to the North. * The Golden Empress Yujin (242 – 576KO): Yujin was of the youngest bloom and 85 at the time of Yu’he’s disappearance. Due to her brightness, she was already serving on her father’s council for almost 50 years. For what Yu’he had in bravado, Yujin had in smart governance. She left most of the exploration duties to her brother Yu’gan and other generals while focusing on strengthening O’Sine from the lands already established. Her rule is called the “Golden Period” of the Kingdom of O’Sine and created many political, educational and cultural traditions that lasted through the Second Epoch. After over 300 years of rule, sensing her own imminent death and fearing leaving the throne to her deranged younger blooms, she abdicated and begged Yu’gan to take over from her in 576KO. * The Great Explorer Yu’gan (576 - 600KO): Yu’gan was 385 when he was coronated. With the help of Yujin’s council, he did a decent job of continuing on his sister’s legacy, though there was very little notable change done by him in the less than 30 years of his rule. The year after Yujin passed, he became obsessed with the thought of going on one last adventure. In 600KO, under the darkness of night, he snuck out of Misha Castle with an expedition group of old warrior friends and never came back. Yu’gan’s sudden disappearance, along with his lack of naming a successor, marked years of infighting in the O’Sine court as various factions struggled over whether Yu’gan’s daughter Gaigan or Yujin’s son Yu’an was to take the throne. The O'sine Civil War (600KO - 820KO) The O’Sine Civil War is the name given to the period in which Prince Yu’an and Lady Gaigan battled for the throne of O’Sine. Prince Yu’an was most directly of Empress Yujin’s bloodline, being her last-born Bloom. However, the Empress’ distaste at his violent nature and the swirling rumors that he had killed his sister Yumi (the truly rightful heir by Vei standards) were working in his disfavor. Meanwhile, Lady Gaigan was of the last-born Bloom of Emperor Yu’gan and the Princess Gaichiow of the House of Gai. She was also widely believed to be a favorite niece of Yujin and widely admired for her gentle but wise nature. But many were unwilling to hand over the Kingdom to another House, and rumors were spread that her bloodline to Yu’gan could be false. The period is divided into three parts: * The Bloodless Battle (600-636KO): Includes the 30 year deliberation between the Three Major Houses and 15 Minor Houses until Prince Yu’an was coronated. Also includes the six years up to the Twelfth Belenus Bloom, in which his coronation was largely uncontested. * The Scarlet Purge (636-718KO): Begins with Yu’an’s massacre of the Yu’gan bloodline and Lady Gaigan’s flight to the North. Important events of this period include the Bloody Winter (the name of the Hael genocide at Misha Castle), the foundation of the Chekawasu force by General Tamekaze, the Execution of Potan (a minor house Vei who gave birth to a Hael) and the founding of the Snovdenoska Nation. It ends with Lady Gaigan’s reappearance and formal declaration of war. * North & South O’Sine (718-820KO): Begins with Lady Gaigan’s formal declaration of war. Over the next 100 years, Emperor Yu’an’s territory is slowly pushed back until it only encompasses Tanrei Island. In 820KO, he is assassinated by his lover and Gaigan becomes Empress. Read a more detailed account of the O'Sine Civil War. The Gai Dynasty (820KO - 1058KO) Stretching for 238 years, the Gai Dynasty saw unprecedented levels of inclusion under their governance and a more relaxed form of Vei rule. For the first time, Sunlings and Hael served on councils all across the land. Norfolk saw their status raised from hunted beasts to fellow Citizen Species, and communication began with Mertral for the first time. However, it was not peaceful. Hundreds of flare ups continued across the land as all factions struggled with the implications of a new order. The period is divided into 3 parts: * The Loving Empress Gaigan (820-936KO): For over 100 years after winningthe O’Sine Civil War, Gaigan ruled as Empress of all O’Sine. She is responsiblefor the establishment of Snovdenoska and Chekewasu. Though most citizenry would consider this a peaceful time, it was discovered centuries afterwards that she spent much of those years trying to avoid assassination while establishing a system of government that would be more “fair” to all sentient creatures in O’Sine. To continue her line, she may have relied on dangerous maegye at the 15th Bloom. She produced, but was found petrified in her bed several days after. * The Child Empress Gaitel (937- 996KO): The Privy Council had unprecedented powers during the “Rule of the Child Empress,” helping to establish order in O’Sine even as racial flare ups happened across the land. This period includes the nearly decade-long “White War” between the Snovdenoska Norfolk and Northern Sunling and Hael tribes, which was only finally put to bed through the strenuous efforts of Gaigan’s first children (Lady Gaimi and Lord Gai’sway). The two established the Order of Forbearance, which had the heady task of maintaining good interspecies relations. Gaitel’s life was short - she died from complications at her First Bloom, and her brother Gai’jin ascended to the throne. * The Gentle Emperor Gai’jin (996 – 1058KO): Though at least an adult when he became Emperor, Gai’jin was still more or less powerless during his rule. He had successfully bloomed with Lady Mamlinn from the House of Mam, which then lobbied for more power. Lady Mamlinn became Queen, a title no one had held since Misha. Meanwhile, the Order ran problems when it took on Mertral – a counter guerrilla group called The Yu’Shi Remembrance was formed to attack Order integration attempts (and anybody that supported them). Fearing another civil war, the Privy Council abolished The Order. Soon after an unsuccessful 17th Bloom, Gai’jin mysteriously disappeared and his daughter Mamgan became Empress. The Mam Dynasty (1059KO-1364KO) This period, in which members of the House of Mam were in power, involves three official rulers but is divided generally into two parts: * The Shadow Queen Mamlinn (1000~ - 1167KO): Supported by key relatives in the House of Mam, Queen Mamlinn ruled from behind the scenes for nearly 200 years. Her shadow rule started from her establishment as Queen soon after the Bloom with Emperor Gai’jin. She was head of the Privy Council in the 60-odd years of her first daughter Mamgan’s rule and, when Mamgan proved to be “difficult,” led the efforts to instate her second daughter Mamna to the throne. Her time behind the throne ended in her exile after her first son Mam’rai uncovered her part in assassinating Emperor Gai’jin. * The Rift Emperor Mam’rai (1168 – 1402KO): Mam’rai is remembered mostly for his part leading to the Rift Curse. He was considered a great talent amongst the Vei for Maegye arts and, for the first hundred years of his rule, actually helped greatly accelerate Maegye learnings. It was only after his third unsuccessful Bloom that he became obsessed with Vei immortality and fertility. This led him to commission several expeditions back to Iyn (none of which returned) and research into other planes. He was the first to form a “Rift,” a small tear in the fabric of space that flooded Vei with Maegye power. His fourth bloom produced triplets. By the next bloom, almost all Vei across Belenus were supplementing with Rifts and their population doubled. Then in 1359, the first Rift spiraled out of control, swallowing half a town and releasing hordes of daemon creatures. Within a year, the entire kingdom was descending into chaos. He disappeared into a Rift himself in 1364. The Rift Curse and Fall of O'Sine (1296 - 1394) For a more detailed look, see: The Rift Curse While the first major incident was in 1359, many scholars trace the beginning of the Rift Curse to the 21st Bloom, when Emperor Mam'rai used the power of other planes to "revitalize" the Vei. While none of Mam'rai's rifts ever exploded, his actions led to their use across the land. Within a year, small accidents were already rumored to be happening. The 1359 Rift was thought to be one accident that had been covered up decades before and left to fester. It had been slowly torn larger until an otherworld archdaemon had managed to force its way through, leading to the destruction of a minor township in Min Province. Though Mam'rai quickly sent forces to try to contain the 1359 Rifts, equally large ones began opening up around the entire kingdom. After five fruitless years of battling Rift daemons, Mam'rai walked through one. He never came out. Mamna, who had been opposed to Rift maegye and living a quiet existence at Duskglider Hall, became Interim Empress. As part of her attempts to control the crisis, Mamna commissioned a young priestess named Kaephryn, an albino Vei with a supernatural talent at controlling Maey, to discover a way to close Rifts. The twenty year journey Kaephryn undertook across the land with the compatriots is chronicled in a famous set of tomes called The Gift of The Alabaster. By the time the first rift was sealed, through the sacrifice of Kaephryn's own life, nearly 2/3rds of the entire population of Maeykka had been destroyed. Empress Mamna decided to dissolve the O'Sine kingdom and prevent Vei from ever using such dangerous spells again. She formalized this in the Contract for The Academy, which also carved O'sine into lands to be ruled without Vei - Snovdenoska to the Far North, Grayswallow to the East, Helman to the South and Chekewasu to the West. Remaining Vei congregated on Tanrei Island, in part to avoid persecution. She retired from her throne for the second time when The Contract for The Academy was signed, and became Headmaster of the Belenus Rift Task Force. Society & Culture Politics & Law Heirarchy The Kingdom of O'sine system of government was a theocracy governed by an Imperial ruler and Privy Council on top, and - by its peak - with eight successive ranks downwards. * Ren (Benevolence) Level: Nine members of the Privy Council were in charge of Nine super-district in the kingdom. * Rei (Propriety): Each super-district had between 3-5 provinces inside, determined by population density 1 year before a Bloom. A noble would be assigned each province. * Yi (Righteouness): Each of these provinces would also have a judge as part of the province's High Court. These judges were usually determined through an Imperial test. * Gon (Persistence): The first and only military arm of the government, the Gon is overseen by the High Court of the province and in turn oversees all guardian forces across the region. * Zhir (Wisdom): Each province would consist of several counties, determined by the Nobles of the Provinces and with permission of the Privy Council. Some of the largest cities are considered their own county. * Meng (Knowledge): The counties would have their County Courts, with judges placed through testing. * Jong (Loyalty): Finally, towns would have their mayors and districts in cities would have their representatives. * Mian (Constancy): And each town with enough people to require a court would have a judge as well. Political Succession In the course of seven rulers, the exact science for determining a successor in the Imperial Court never quite emerged. Vei tradition in Iyn dictated that the youngest female in the Royal Houses take over the throne after the abdication or death of the Empress. However, when Yuna passed on with no children, Yu'he ended up becoming the Emperor. Beginning with the Yujin era, there were three types of political succession available, depending on rank: * Imperial/Noble choice: The ruler was in charge of choosing his or her Privy Council. At least one of each of the major houses needed to be represented (4), with five other Vei chosen from outstanding members of the populace. The last four could be split amongst the other Citizen Species - some courts were more inclusive than others. Similarly, "Rei" rank nobles were in charge of choosing who would be overseeing the counties in their province, and "Zhir" rank officials would elect town mayors. * Inheritence: Following the traditions of Iyn, the youngest daughter of a noble would be assigned as a "Rei" rank representative of a province. Outside the Imperial Court, however, this is the only time inheritence would play into the political landscape. * Testing: All judges in the "Yi", "Meng" and "Mian" rankings were chosen through an Imperial Test. Every ten years, students of O'sine law would take the test - the ones with the highest scores would be considered for judgeships, placement determined by nobles. All newly elected judges were placed into the “Mian” category. Ten years later, the best of those would be chosen for the “Meng” rank. Ten years later, “Meng” rank judges would have a possibility at becoming a “Yi” rank judge. As with much other aspects of the time, participation in decision making was heavily weighted towards the Vei, with limited involvement by Sunling, Hael and (later) Norfolk. Legal System Judges were put into place after an Imperial Test of the law, in which they must demonstrate a perfect grasp of the legal code and a trait for collating and correctly interpreting evidence. Each test was a full week long and was administered by previously appointed judges. Outside of the judges, towns and cities usually had numerous police and mediators that would settle the majority of smaller disputes. The police were usually also the standing militia of the area, on alert for crimes inside the towns when not protecting them from outside forces. Mediators were usually those who had not quite tested high enough on the Imperial Test (but were still highly regarded) in the area - some particularly great mediators could be requested. In some of the smallest towns, the Captain of the Police was also the mediator. Punishment was technically considered equal for everyone, though some considerations were made depending on the Citizen Species. For instance, there was no such thing as an Execution for Vei, only lifelong imprisonment or exile. There were also separate prisons for Vei (and Hael), though this may have been because their Maey ability needed to be taken into account. Sunling prisons were by far the most crude, and executions were common for the highest felonies. However, in consideration for their short lifespans, they had the shortest trials and punishments. Punishments included public canings, hard labor or mandatory inclusion into an exploratory force. Military Force Might and combat was considered crude and uncivilized by the Vei, who preferred to settle territorial disputes through a one-on-one representative negotiation (some of which could take decades to finish). As such, the military never developed as much as it did in future Epochs. There were three types of “Protectors” during the Kingdom of O’sine * The Imperial Guard: Of which there were two types – the Light Guard and the Shadow Guard. The Light Guard would be the soldiers and Maeysters expected to sacrifice their lives in any attempt on the ruler’s life. These positions were usually occupied by Hael or Sunling. The Shadow Guard was a network of spies that would be able to infiltrate other Vei houses and provide the ruler with information. Most noble houses also had their version of Imperial Guards. * The Police: Each township and city had a citizen militia. Basically anyone who completed a combat and legal training course and continued to test well on it every six years could apply to become a member of The Police. How many Police a town had generally was determined by how willing the mayor was to devote resources to it. The Police would also protect the town against roving beasts and violent natives. * The Exploratory Forces: Especially expanded under Yu'gan, the Exploratory Forces was the closest thing to an imperial military in the Kingdom of O’Sine. Their main task was to conquer new lands, and their ability to map out and establish new townships on Belenus were handsomely rewarded. Many Sunling signed up to be part of the Exploratory Forces, as it was one of their few ways of rising in the ranks. Arts, Crafts and Cuisine